Moving On
by The Offbeat Alchemist
Summary: -Follow-up to Letting Go- Rei isn't an easily excited person, but when a certain someone stops by for dinner, she can't help getting a little nervous about it.


**MOVING ON**

Rei stood in her kitchen with a blank look on her face. Cooking had never been one of her strong points, so when Miku moved in, she had gladly given her the majority of baking duty. As time went on, Miku slowly took over the small space entirely, adding cookware and appliances that Rei herself would never use. Rei didn't mind, because Miku was capable of creating restaurant-worthy meals when she really got into it. Only now, on the one day she truly needed to make use of it, Rei discovered that the space had become so completely Miku's she had no idea where anything was.

The drawers had all been reorganized, and as she opened door after door, Rei discovered that the cabinets were filled with dishes she didn't recognize, and held blenders and food processors and other appliances she didn't even know were in the house.

Rei closed the cabinet door with a bang and looked around her with an air of frustration. Her eyes inevitably wandered over the microwave, but she looked away with resolve. She was going to cook on the stove for once. After all...she had company coming.

Squaring her shoulders and setting her jaw firmly, she started searching again with renewed determination. She found and withdrew all of the items she needed and set them all on the counter. Once that was done, she located and removed the food she wanted to cook from the refrigerator. Finally, she placed the uncooked food into the appropriate cookware and set each article on the stove.

Rei paused as she realized she wasn't sure of the temperature settings or cooking times. With a heavy sigh, she turned from the stove and began digging for her cookbook, which was also squirreled away in a place only Miku knew.

Miku wasn't home at the moment, or else Rei would have gladly asked for her assistance. The younger girl was out doing research for a project they were working on, the first real job they had taken in many weeks. Rei was glad she was finding so much do to with her life, but that afternoon she couldn't help wishing that she was home for once.

Rei was just about to give up searching the kitchen and go upstairs to see if Miku had taken the cookbook into her room for some reason when the doorbell rang. Startled, she looked at the nearest clock; it was only half-past five. Her company wasn't due for half an hour.

She knew it couldn't be Miku, though, because she didn't need to ring to come in. Unless she had forgotten her key.

Wiping her hands on her pants, Rei hurried to the front door. She took a moment to steady her fluttering nerves before she turned the knob. The person standing outside smiled softly when they saw her.

"Hello, Rei," said Mio shyly. "You look well."

Rei felt a little stunned. Mio was supposed to come over that evening, but not alone. She glanced over the small girl's head; there was no sign of her soft-spoken uncle.

"I know I'm early," she went on, as if reading her mind, "but I thought I would come see if you needed any help with dinner."

She certainly did, but Rei was still getting over her surprise. She had only spoken to Mio once before, when Kei brought her to visit after they both recovered from their time in the manor. The young girl seemed very shy, and she barely spoke a word the entire time.

She was glancing away that very moment, and shifting uncertainly from foot to foot. Rei's own stomach was doing flip-flops; she had been wanting to get to know Mio better for a while now, and hoped that tonight's dinner would give her that chance, but she had pictured Kei being nearby at the time. As she stood there awkwardly, she couldn't help wondering if he wasn't really the driving force behind Mio arriving ahead of schedule.

Trying not to let her nerves show, Rei stepped back and invited the young girl into her home. Mio's wispy black hair brushed her shoulders as she shyly ducked her head. "Thank you," she murmured.

With nothing prepared and nothing to offer her unexpected guest, Rei escorted Mio to the kitchen with thoughts of throwing a pot of tea on the stove in her mind. She paused in the doorway, a sense of foolishness creeping over her as she realized she wasn't sure where the teapot was, either.

Mio didn't seem to notice her moment of hesitation as she moved past her and entered the kitchen. Before Rei could react, the young girl began grabbing some of the things lying out on the counter. Within moments, she had the jumbled collection of food and cookware lined up neatly. Her hands flicked over the dials on the stove before reaching for the uncooked pile of vegetables.

Rei finally moved into action. "Here, let me," she said, gently taking a clump of green onions from Mio's slim hands.

Mio flashed her a shy smile before she grabbed a pot and started filling it with water. As she began chopping the onions, Rei was aware that Mio was doing the bulk of the work, but the younger girl didn't seem to mind. As the minutes went by and the meal rapidly took shape, the uncertainty both girls were feeling began melting away.

Mio started talking about the project Miku was working on with Kei. "It's funny," she said, laughing softly. "With you and Miku working with my uncle now, it sort of feels like one big family."

Rei's heart fluttered at the word.

_Family_, she repeated silently.

That was what she hoped for. Ever since she and Kei had officially started seeing each other, she had worried about how she would fit in the family he already had. Rei had figured out right from the start that Mio was more to him than just his niece.

They had other family members, but they were closest to each other. After Mio was rescued from the grip of the Manor of Sleep, Kei had taken her into his own home. He was only her uncle, but he treated her like she was his own daughter.

Because of this, Rei's own relationship with Mio was important to her. If she and Kei grew as close as she suspected they would, Mio would be like a daughter to her, too.

But as she listened to how easily Mio spoke to her, saw how quick she was to smile, she realized that she had little to worry about. By the time Miku came home, Rei's nerves were gone and forgotten.

"Rei, I brought those prints you asked for," Miku called.

"Just leave them on the back table for now," Rei instructed as she turned off the stove.

She glanced at Mio; she had paused, a stack of plates in her hands, and looked in the direction of Miku's voice. Rei smiled softly. "You can go help her. I'll handle the table."

Mio set the plates down and hurried eagerly into the hall. While she was setting the table, Rei heard a pair of soft footsteps approach from behind. A pair of warm hands rested on her shoulders. She smiled again and reached up to squeeze one of the hands as Kei softly kissed the top of her head.

"You look like you have everything under control," he observed mildly.

Rei glanced briefly at dinner, which had somehow turned out better than she ever imagined it would, before leaning her head back and resting it against Kei's strong chest.

"Thank you," she murmured.

Kei lightly squeezed her shoulder. "For what?"

"For everything."


End file.
